1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic musical instrument capable of a legato performance.
2. Background Art
Electronic musical instruments are known which can generate a plurality of types of musical tones. For example, electronic musical instruments employing a waveform memory are known. Various types of musical tone waveforms, for example, musical tone waveforms obtained from various types of non-electronic musical instruments are sampled and converted to digital data, and the digital data thus obtained are stored in the waveform memory of these types of electronic musical instruments. When performing a musical piece, the musical tone waveforms corresponding to the tone color which is designated by the performer are read out from the waveform memory in response to the key depressing operation applied to the instrument.
There are differences between the attack envelope waveforms of the musical tones of the different musical instruments. Furthermore, the waveforms of the attack portions of the musical tones have a plurality of harmonics. The attack envelope waveforms and the spectrums of the attack portions are important elements which present the musical characteristics of the musical tones such as rubbed noises of rubbed string instrument, and noises of guitar sounds, which are generated when the bodies of guitars are vibrated, and blowing noises of musical sounds of wood instruments, and attack vibrato of musical sounds of brass instruments. Therefore, the whole of the musical tone waveforms, which include the attack portions thereof, are stored in the waveform memory of the above-described electronic musical instrument in order to regenerate the musical tones which have the musical characteristics of the corresponding musical instruments.
However, when performing a legato performance by using the electronic musical instrument, such attack portions of musical tone waveforms provide a disadvantage for a smoother legato performance. Because, a plurality of attack portions of the musical tones are consecutively generated.